‘Me? Ha! Typical – it would have to be me!’
Sarah tended to do this when she was nervous – speak a stream of nonsense just to say something.
‘OK. So what single thing could improve the department . . .’
She did that a lot as well. Repeated the question to buy time. Come on, he urged her silently. Have faith in yourself.
‘Well, I think the temporary follow-up system could be made a little more efficient than it is now. That’s the system for doing the after-debrief with clients for one-off functions and events, getting feedback, making sure things went smoothly. We’ve been doing it for about eighteen months but it’s still a touch hit and miss.’
Rachel was still smiling at her, a smile as hard and bright as an overhead striplight.
‘Thank you, Sarah. That’s a great start. So you’ve been running this system for eighteen months. Who was responsible for it in the first place?’
Sarah gazed blankly at Rachel as if she was suddenly speaking in tongues.
‘Come on. Someone must have come up with the system in the first place. It’s only eighteen months old. Who was it?’
A faint sheen had appeared on Sarah’s upper lip.
‘I don’t . . . I can’t remember.’
‘Someone must remember.’
Rachel cast her eyes around the table, her smile unwavering. Ewan shrugged theatrically, Amira looked up to the ceiling as if trying to dredge her memory. Only Chloe, who was too junior to be involved, was unbothered. The silence stretched over the table, tight as cling film. Finally Paula spoke.
‘I think it was me, actually.’ Her voice came out in a squeak like someone unused to speaking.
‘Great. So you’ll be able to say whether you think Sarah is right.’
‘I didn’t mean . . .’ Sarah burst in, unable to stop herself, but then seemed not to have the faintest idea what she hadn’t meant.
‘I agree that the system might benefit from some . . . updating,’ Paula began, ‘but I certainly don’t think it’s responsible for the department underperforming. If anything, I think the problem lies with the staff structure. It’s too apple-shaped, too wide around the middle. Things are getting clogged up in the centre because no one is really sure who is handling what. There ought to be a more streamlined chain of command.’
Too wide around the middle? So basically she was saying there were too many people on the same mid-managerial level, which in effect, meant Sarah, Amira, Ewan and Charlie himself. For a few seconds, Charlie tried to think of an alternative meaning for what Paula had said, but judging by the expression on Amira and Sarah’s faces, there wasn’t one. Ewan was determinedly tucking into his wrap. Maybe he hadn’t followed Paula’s remark to its final logical conclusion, or maybe he thought he was safe somehow. Had Rachel said something to him? He certainly did seem to be cosying up to her. Anyway, Ewan had his own separate sphere of responsibility – recruiting IT personnel – so maybe he thought he wouldn’t be affected.
Paula, whose face had worn a rosily defiant expression while defending her post-event follow-up system, was now looking ashen, as if she’d just realized the implications of what she’d said. Charlie was starting to feel an unfamiliar burning in the pit of his stomach. Was Paula really suggesting Rachel get rid of one of them? Just what was she playing at? It now seemed ironic that just yesterday he’d stood in front of Rachel Masters and been outraged on Paula’s behalf when Rachel had brazenly asked if he was interested in Paula’s job. Well, of course he’d been outraged. It was so underhand. Nonetheless, he’d agreed not to mention it to anyone and he’d been true to his word, though more out of respect for Paula herself than any loyalty to the new boss.
‘I really wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing any change of role when there’s already someone doing that job,’ he’d told Rachel. ‘Particularly when it’s someone I’ve worked very closely with for a number of years.’
If he’d expected her to be embarrassed, he was disappointed.
‘Very creditable, I’m sure, Charlie. However, I should make it clear I’m anticipating a degree of staff realigning. Certain positions will inevitably become vacant in the reshuffle.’
Afterwards he wished he’d called her bluff, been more combative. Paula had been at the agency for ever. She predated the carpet in reception, and that was saying something. Rachel couldn’t just get rid of her like that. There were strict protocols to be adhered to, verbal and written warnings, disciplinary hearings. And it wasn’t even as if Paula was bad at her job – she just lacked a little spark. She was maybe a bit inclined to coast along doing everything the way it had always been done because what’s not broken didn’t need fixing. But though she might not be the most dynamic deputy in the world, she was reliable and experienced and she and Gill together had always been supportive to him.